The around the post (ATP) in pickleball is one of the most spectacular shots in the game, and it’s totally legal. This guide breaks down the setup, mechanics, and decision-making to help you execute it in a real match.
The around the post (ATP) in pickleball is the shot that makes spectators gasp and opponents groan.
You’ve seen it on highlight reels, maybe even had one hit against you.
Now it’s time to learn how to hit it yourself, not just understand it in theory, but actually pull it off when the opportunity appears.
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What Is the Around the Post in Pickleball?
The ATP, short for around-the-post, is a legal shot where the ball travels around the outside of the net post rather than over the top of the net.
The ball never needs to cross over the net. As long as it lands in bounds on your opponent’s side of the court, it counts.
According to USA Pickleball’s official rulebook (Rule 11.M), a player may go around the outside of a net post to hit a ball, and the shot is legal even if the ball passes outside the net post below the top of the net, as long as it lands in the correct court.
This is the rule that makes the ATP possible, and it’s the same rule that governs the Erne, another shot where positioning away from the traditional baseline creates a major offensive advantage.
Here’s the thing: the ATP isn’t just a trick shot. At the high levels of pro pickleball, it’s a legitimate weapon.
Players like JW Johnson and Ben Johns have weaponized the atp around the post in pickleball to convert what should be a lost point into a winner.
The setup is almost always the same, a wide, low ball that pulls you off the court. Your instinct says “let it go.” The ATP says: “go get it.”
When Does the ATP Opportunity Arise?
An ATP around the post opens up when your opponent sends a wide angled dink or drive that pulls you several feet off the sideline.
This is the trigger. Without that angle, there’s no around-the-post opportunity, the ball is too far inside the court.
The most common setup scenarios:
- Your opponent hits a sharp cross-court dink that drifts well outside your sideline
- A wide drive or reset attempt sails off the angle and continues past the sideline
- You’ve been pulled into a wide court battle and the ball bounces low near or past the kitchen corner
Notice what all three scenarios share: the ball is wide, often low, and pulling you away from center court.
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Most players instinctively let that ball go because it feels like it’s going out. Sometimes it is going out. L
earning to read whether the ball will land in, and react fast enough to go around the post, is what separates players who just know about the ATP from players who can actually execute it.
Your opponent, meanwhile, expects you to give up on that ball. That’s why the ATP around the post in pickleball is so psychologically devastating when it lands.
They thought they won the point. You just flipped the script.
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How to Hit an ATP in Pickleball: The Step-by-Step Mechanics
Step 1: Read the Ball Early and Commit
The biggest mistake players make is hesitating. By the time you’ve decided to go for the ATP around the post, you need to already be moving. Watch your opponent’s paddle angle. A sharp cross-court angle at low contact height is the tell. If their drive or dink is going wide, your body should start moving sideways before the ball even reaches the kitchen line.
Commit early. Half-committed ATPs almost always fail.
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Step 2: Sprint Wide and Get Around the Post
Move aggressively off the court. You’re not just stepping wide, you’re running around the outside of the net post entirely. Your goal is to position yourself so the ball is on the other side of the post relative to your body. That’s the geometry that makes the ATP legal and possible.
Don’t panic about leaving center court open. Your partner should cover the middle while you chase the wide ball. This is a doubles communication situation, and experienced pairs know the partner’s role when an ATP opportunity develops.
Step 3: Set Your Contact Point
Contact the ball at or below net height, as far around the post as you can reach. You want to be striking from a position where you can send the ball at a downward or flat angle, back across your opponent’s side of the net. If you contact the ball too high or too close to the post, you’ll hit it out or into the net. Too late and you’re hitting off your back foot with no power.
Think of the swing volley mechanics, contact in front of the body, weight transferring into the shot, not away from it. The around-the-post shot requires the same forward momentum principle.
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Step 4: Aim Cross-Court or Down the Line
Once around the post, you have two real options. Cross-court is the higher-percentage play, more net clearance, wider court target. Down the line is riskier but catches opponents who’ve shifted to cover cross-court.
The most effective ATP shots land near the kitchen line and force your opponent to deal with a ball coming from an angle they did not expect. Because the ball came around the post rather than over the net, the trajectory is unusual and hard to read. That’s the hidden advantage of the ATP, even when opponents see it coming, the angle is genuinely difficult to handle.
Step 5: Recover After the Shot
Here’s what most instructional breakdowns miss: the shot isn’t over when the ball leaves your paddle. You’ve just sprinted 5-10 feet off the sideline. Your court coverage is nonexistent. The moment you make contact, your next priority is recovering toward center.
If the ATP lands and your opponent gets it back, you’re out of position. Recover fast, communicate with your partner, and don’t assume the point is over just because you hit a great shot.
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Patience, footwork, weight transfer, and confidence. Get those right, and you’ll be hitting ATPs like a pro.
Why Is the ATP Around the Post Legal in Pickleball?
The ATP around the post is legal because the rules of pickleball do not require the ball to pass over the net, only that it land in the opponent’s court.
This might surprise players coming from tennis, where going around the post carries the same requirement.
In pickleball, once the ball is wide enough, going around the post is an option on every shot.
The relevant USA Pickleball rule (11.M) makes this explicit.
The ball may pass outside the net post, below or above the height of the net, provided it lands in the correct court.
This rule applies to both the ATP and the Erne, its cousin that involves jumping over or around the non-volley zone from the side.
One thing to be clear about: if you go around the post but the ball lands out of bounds, it’s your error, exactly the same as any other shot.
The legality is about the trajectory, not an automatic point.
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The ATP vs. the Erne: How Are They Different?
Both shots exploit the wide angles of the pickleball court, but they’re executed differently and triggered by different situations.
The Erne involves positioning yourself at or beyond the sideline before a dink is hit, then intercepting the ball at the net corner, usually by jumping or stepping around the kitchen.
The Erne is largely a set shot; elite players telegraph their intent and move into position to steal a dink before it gets to their opponent.
The ATP is more reactive. You’re chasing a ball that’s already going wide. There’s less setup and more athleticism required in the moment.
Both shots are advanced pickleball techniques that reward court awareness and footwork, but the Erne can be drilled systematically while the ATP requires instinctive recognition.
If you want to practice both, the figure-8 drill builds the lateral movement needed for ATP execution, and training with wide cross-court angles specifically creates the repetition necessary to recognize and convert around-the-post opportunities in real matches.
Erne Pickleball: Setup, Jump & Legal Landing Explained
The Erne pickleball shot is one of the most disruptive weapons at the net, letting you volley the ball outside the kitchen line while your opponent has nowhere to go. Here’s exactly how to set it up, execute the jump, and land legally every time.
How to Practice the ATP Around the Post Pickleball Shot
You can’t wait for a match to stumble into an ATP opportunity. Here’s how to build the skill deliberately:
- Wide angle feeding drills. Have a partner or machine feed balls that land just inside the sideline and continue drifting wide. Your job is to identify which ones are ATP candidates and sprint for them.
- Shadow footwork. Practice the lateral sprint and recovery pattern without a ball. Get comfortable sprinting 8-10 feet off the sideline, making a contact motion around an imaginary post, and recovering to center.
- Live drilling. Set up cross-court dinking rallies and encourage your partner to hit sharp angles. Practice reading the wide ball early. You don’t have to go for the ATP every time, but identify the moments when you could.
- Video review. Watch pro pickleball rallies and specifically study ATP moments. Freeze the frame at the point of contact. Notice the body position, the paddle angle, and where the ball travels.
The advanced pickleball drill work on shot creation applies directly here, the ATP is ultimately a shot-selection decision made under pressure, and training that decision-making under realistic conditions is the fastest path to using it in matches.
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Key Takeaways
- The atp around the post in pickleball is a legal, high-reward shot triggered by wide cross-court angles that pull you off the sideline
- It’s legal under USA Pickleball Rule 11.M, the ball doesn’t need to cross over the net, only land in bounds
- The four critical mechanics: early read, aggressive lateral movement, contact around/past the post, cross-court aim
- Unlike the Erne, the ATP is reactive, recognition speed is the most important skill to develop
- Recovery after the ATP matters as much as the shot itself; sprint back to center immediately
- Practice through wide-angle feeding drills and cross-court dinking to build the instinct
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is an ATP in pickleball?
An ATP, around the post, is a shot where the ball travels around the outside of the net post and lands in the opponent’s court. It’s legal under USA Pickleball’s official rules and typically happens when a cross-court ball pulls a player far off the sideline. The ATP around the post in pickleball doesn’t need to pass over the net to count, which is what makes it unique.
Is the ATP around the post legal in pickleball?
Yes, the ATP is completely legal in pickleball. Rule 11.M of the USA Pickleball rulebook explicitly allows a player to hit a ball that passes outside the net post, below or above net height, as long as it lands in the correct court. This applies in both recreational and professional play.
When should you go for an ATP in pickleball?
Go for the ATP around the post when your opponent hits a sharp cross-court angle that is pulling you well off the sideline, typically several feet outside the court boundary. If the ball is going to land wide and you’re already in motion, that’s your window. The key is committing early; hesitating usually means arriving too late for clean contact.
How is an ATP different from an Erne?
The Erne involves proactively positioning near the sideline before a dink is struck, then intercepting the ball at the net corner. The ATP is reactive, you’re chasing a ball that’s already going wide and executing the shot around the post as you pursue it. Both are advanced pickleball techniques that exploit wide court angles, but the Erne requires setup while the ATP demands quick recognition.
Can you practice the ATP around the post in pickleball?
Absolutely. The most effective practice method is wide-angle feeding drills where a partner or ball machine sends balls toward the sideline. You work on reading the trajectory early and sprinting around the post to make contact. Pairing that with cross-court dinking rallies creates realistic game conditions where you can develop the instinct to identify and convert ATP opportunities.
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